How To Prepare For Full Time RV Living In 2023

How To Prepare For Full Time RV Living In 2023

You might be here because you’re considering going from part-time RV travel to full time RV living or you might just be considering what it would take to live full time in an RV with the ability to go wherever, whenever you like. Either way, there are things you should learn first.

How to Prepare for Full Time RV Living

Before you determine if full time RV living is the right move for you, there are several benefits and pitfalls to this lifestyle, understanding these will help you determine if this is the best move for you. You’re going to learn that there are a few steps you’ll need to take if this happens to be a dream of yours, and we’re here to help you discover what you need to know.

Preparing for Full Time RV Living Basics

First things first, you’ll need to research several topics that are essential for full-time RVers. While this blog will be a great resource and place to begin, you’ll also find others with valuable information so you can get a variety of recommendations.

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself checking back here as well as other full-time living blogs. You might even sign up to hear podcasts or join Facebook groups that discuss living on the road. Each of these can better prepare you for this life-altering decision, you’re deciding to give up typical one place living for a lifestyle where you’re free to explore and enjoy all this country has to offer.

Performing generalized research is valuable, but I recommend homing in on these topics as most valuable to help you make future plans. These are some of the most important topics you’re going to need knowledge of to help you plan your full-time RV transition:

The best RVs for full-time living

Types of campers and RVs

Travel Trailer or Motorhome

RV shows, conferences, and rallies

General full time RV packing list

Clothes for full time RVing

Mail forwarding options

Residency and domicile states for RVers

Healthcare for RVers

Remote income opportunities

Camping clubs and RV memberships

Beyond these, you’ll want to add in more specialized subjects that are of importance to you. Once you’ve created your own sub-topics it’ll be time to do your homework. I think you’re going to be surprised at the amount of helpful information you’ll discover while you prepare for a life of full-time RV living.

Set a Date for Starting Your RV Living

By the time you decide to set a date to go full-time, you should have gathered a lot of information on common full-time stationary RV living with a number of valuable insider tips.

When you’ve reached the point that you’re comfortable and confident about the decision that an RV lifestyle is your future, it’s time to set a date. With the knowledge you’ve collected you’ll be able to decide how much time you’ll need for both goal planning and implementing the lifestyle changes you’ll need to make to begin this adventure. Then it’s time to set a date.

By the action of simply setting a date, you’ll be giving yourself the push to get things done. This date also gives you a specific timeframe to put things in order to handle daily life on the road. Make sure to put this date where it is very visible every day so you’re constantly working toward meeting the required goals of beginning your new full-time RV lifestyle on that date.

Don’t be concerned if you don’t have a concrete date, most people don’t when they begin the planning process. At the time of this writing, our date is 12-18 months from now. Just the idea of setting your preliminary date gives you a solid start. That date can be adjusted as you move forward, after you’ve set up the tasks you’ll need to accomplish and determined how much time they might take to accomplish.

Create a Budget to Go with Your Plan

Don’t be fooled into thinking full-time RV living will always cost less that upkeep on your traditional home or apartment. This is a popular misconception in many cases.

I know budgets sound stressful and boring, but if you just wing it as you go, you might find yourself spending a lot more than you expect. Here are a list of expenses you need to get familiar with and have an idea of what they might cost you:

• Equipment purchases
• Repairs
• Campground fees
• Utilities
• Equipment upkeep
• Additional RV expenses

These refer more to big items like your camping unit and possible tow vehicle or Toad vehicle, as well as fuel costs and site location expenses. These will need to be part of your RV lifestyle budget.

In addition to those expenses specific to the RV, you’ll also encounter day-to-day living expenses similar to the ones in your home. However, you might have some additional expenses like:

• Full-time RV insurance (different than weekender insurance)
• Electric utility (often separated from basic site rent)
• Vehicle loans
• Chemicals
• Special tools
• Other items

The electric is a common conversation, for example if you have a smaller unit then air-conditioning costs will be less. With a larger unit or living in the deeper south, you might discover your monthly electric bill could be as much as a home. Knowing some of these details will help get you ready for this new lifestyle.

You’ll also need to investigate costs like mail forwarding, and typical costs of living if you’re plans include relocating to a warmer part of the country.

Some RV units, depending on type and age will be less expensive to maintain than others, but none of them will be very cheap. Therefore, it’s important to set some funds aside in case of unexpected or routine maintenance expenses that will show up along the way.

Create a Task List

You’re going to want to create a to-do list that will help you guide all your other preparation plans. It doesn’t matter if you collect all the RV living tips and trick on the internet, without a plan, you’re probably not going to get vary far. Your first list won’t need to be overly detailed, but it might include some of these topics:

• Researching RVs and campers
  • Researching healthcare options
  • Researching camping areas
  • Choosing a mail service
  • Researching domicile residencies
  • Researching options for mobile income
• Starting decluttering
• Organizing a garage sale
• Canceling utilities

Keep in mind that your to-do list might be different from someone else because everyone has their own unique situation. A good starting place might be to write down what you believe it will take to get yourself on the road. As you begin preforming the tasks on your list, you may find more items to add and will be adjusting the list as needed.

Declutter and Simplify Your Life

In our own experience, we’ve learned that taking small daily steps to simplify life have been very helpful in preparing for our upcoming RV lifestyle change. Beginning the process of getting rid of items that will no longer fit in the RV or your RV lifestyle is a part of that process.

Keep in mind that not everybody’s plans are the same, your goals might be different than mine when it comes to deciding what to keep and what you’re willing to part ways with.

If your someone who might travel for a year or two and then plan to come back home, you might have different ideas about downsizing than someone that plans to be on the road indefinitely in the future. Some people might prefer to put things into storage, just in case the RV lifestyle doesn’t work out for them, while others won’t want the storage expenses and are more committed to making it work out.

You are the only one who can decide what it the right plan for you. Start thinking about those things as you begin the process of decluttering and removing items from your life. Keep in mind that if you decide to get rid of many things at one time, it could become rather emotionally intense. That said, many find the process of cleaning out years of collecting to be very liberating and this gets them very excited about their new future life on the road.

Get the Necessities in Order

During this process you are going to find the need for a huge number of packing lists designed exclusively for full-time RV living, but what you decide to bring will depend largely on your personal lifestyle. A popular tip among RV living enthusiasts is that no matter what you think you’ll need to bring, you’re probably going to need less than you imagine.

Clothing for Full-time RV Lifestyle

Clothing choices and the amount you’ll want to bring along will be determined by the areas you plan on traveling to. If you’re like many and chose to find a fair-weather region to head to, then you may only need to take fair weather clothing.

Choosing a mild climate might mean that needing to pack much cold weather clothing is limited. Here is an example of a fair-weather packing list:

• Five polos or t-shirts
• Two pairs of shorts
• One pair of pajamas
• Two button-up shirts
• One sweater
• One sweatshirt
• One raincoat
• One long-sleeved thermal
• One jacket

This seems like a very small list; however, you might not need as many options as you think. Popular RV living tips commonly point out that if you select clothes that interchange well together, you’ll be able to get away with much less than you might think.

Kitchen Dishes and Tools

Selecting what to have in your kitchen begins with looking through what you already have and deciding what you can’t live without. Keep in mind how much these items will take up in your new limited environment.

It’s not a big deal if you find that some of the things you thought you couldn’t live without go unused while others you got rid of are things you later wish were in your unit. Here is another example of where everyone’s situation is different and you must use your own best judgement.

Decorations

You’re probably not going to want decorations everywhere in your RV but having a few will definitely make your space feel more like home. Also, things like plants and rugs will both add the feelings of warmth and energy in an otherwise foreign feeling space.

If art is something you enjoy, then consider mounting some prints or photos using command strips. Just keep in mind that bad roads could dislodge them from the wall.

In Conclusion

Your process of planning to get ready for a full-time RV commitment can become intense, but you’ll find it worth the effort once you begin life on the road. Once you begin this journey, you’ll encounter a type of freedom few know as you’ll have the ability to go wherever you want whenever the mood strikes you. Even if that happens in the excitement of the moment.

Be sure and take into account the many RV living tips and tricks that come your way, for many have the ability to make this transition a little easier.

Good luck and have fun out there!